


No Take Backs

by TheTrickyOwl



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-23
Updated: 2012-10-23
Packaged: 2017-11-16 21:03:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/543780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheTrickyOwl/pseuds/TheTrickyOwl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There was something bittersweet about falling in love with a human.</p>
            </blockquote>





	No Take Backs

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dawnperhaps](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dawnperhaps/gifts).



There was something bittersweet about falling in love with a human.

They were mortal, vulnerable, able to succumb to the most vicious of sicknesses, and could break as easily as glass. They were innovative, intelligent, clever and creative. They could be cold and reckless, impulsive and vain. They were soft, bold, quiet, and explosive. They were a million things at once, and in the millennia that Gabriel had been alive, they still managed to surprise him.

Especially one particular human who, even in the depths of sleep, could still take his breath away.

He’d snapped into existence within a cramped little motel room in some deadbeat town outside of Wyoming, where the Winchester brothers had just finished up a particularly messy witch hunt. The room was near pitch black, spears of pale moonlight pouring in through the ratty old blinds on the windows. The wall clock read 11:54 PM, the irritating tick, tick, tick barely audible over the sound of snores and sleepy murmurs.

Gabriel stood between the two single beds, one of them occupied by Dean, whose shoulder was bandaged in gauze that was faintly stained through in dark blood. His right eye was bruised, his lip split, and there was a definite twinge of pain in his expression every time he inhaled. Guy had taken a particularly hard beating tonight, but the Archangel wouldn’t dare heal him. Castiel, who was more than likely to return from his duties before the sun rose, would tend to his mate like he always did, mending his beaten body with a fingertip’s brush. It wasn’t in Gabriel’s right, high rank or not, to interfere in the duties of a fellow angel and the human they’d bonded with.

He wouldn’t stay long here, anyways.

Sam was lying face-down in the other bed, long limps sprawled over the too-small mattress, head buried in a mound of pillows while the blankets did little to cover the entirety of his massive form. He wasn’t dreaming tonight, which was a blessing, given how often his subconscious liked to journey back to the depths of the Pit, leaving Sam a trembling sweat-soaked mess come morning.

In what little light he had, Gabriel could tell that Sam was injured as well. Not to the extent that Dean was, but bad enough. His brow had been cut right across, and his hand was bandaged tightly. Soft splotches of fresh bruises had begun blooming across his bare shoulder blades.

Gabriel moved without sound and lowered himself on the edge of the bed, his tiny vessel barely shifting the mattress as his weight settled down onto it. Gently, he ran the very tips of his fingers down the line of Sam’s spine, and the hunter visibly eased beneath him, huffing a contented sigh into the pillow. In an instant, the bruises on his back vanished, the cut healed, and the bandage unwound itself and fell away to nothing from Sam’s hand, revealing no fracture beneath.

Come morning, Sam would just assume that Castiel had healed him in the middle of the night. Wouldn’t be the first time.

The Archangel smiled, satisfied with his work, and gave Sam’s mop of chocolate hair a gentle brush of fingers. So soft against his hand, like silk, which had Gabriel’s mind delving into fantasies of clutching onto that gorgeous mane, tangling himself in it, burying his nose in it and breathing in until he drowned.

Yeah fucking right.

Sam shifted, murmuring something against the pillow, but didn’t wake, which Gabriel was thankful for. He wasn’t exactly keen on seeing Sam’s reaction to finding him in their motel room in the middle of the night. He and the hunter were on better terms since his miraculous little resurrection over a year ago, developing a pretty decent friendship, considering their past circumstances.

Dean still loathed the Archangel, and Gabriel couldn’t really blame the guy. He did gank his ass over a hundred times without mercy back during Mystery Spot, and had a damn good time doing it, too. Much like Michael, Dean held grudges. And Sam, though a tad more tolerant and understanding of Gabriel’s presence in their lives, still didn’t trust him. Not entirely, at least.

And here Gabriel was, popping in usually when the Winchesters were fast asleep, just to get a glimpse of the hunter that he had so foolishly fallen in love with.

Not that Sam would ever know.

Surprisingly enough, Gabriel knew that Sam deserved better than him. This human, this broken, tainted, selfless, magnificent human, who had saved the world countless times, who had so little faith in himself and the sheer goodness that still glowed brightly at his core, needed something better than the runaway son of Heaven as a mate.

Gabriel was arrogant, cowardly, lost, and lonely. He was a mess, a shrivelled fragment of the ethereal being of light and sound that he had once been. And Sam had enough problems on his plate as it was. He didn’t need an Archangel-turned-Trickster-turned-Pagan-God with enough familial issues to receive his own spot on the Maury Show to come home to every night.

As much as Gabriel wanted, needed Sam, he was going to be selfless for once in his Goddamn existence.

He flipped his amber-eyed gaze toward the wall clock. 12:00 AM. On the dot.

Smiling, Gabriel snapped his fingers, summoning a little red and green striped candy cane out of thin air. A small gift from him. He tucked the candy under Sam’s pillow, and then leaned down to press the softest, sweetest kiss to the hunter’s temple. The scent of sweat and salt and Sam invaded his senses and made the echoes of his six wings spread possessively, warding off every creature Heaven or Hell-bent that even dared come too close.

For a millisecond of time, Gabriel allowed Sam to be his. Just his.

Mine…

“Happy birthday, kiddo.” He whispered softly.

With every intention of snapping back to some corner of the world far off from here, Gabriel rose off the mattress just in time to catch the flutter of wing beats behind him, and turned to see Castiel standing in the middle of the room, that damn ratty trench coat of his hanging heavily off of his broad shoulders. He regarded Gabriel’s unexpected presence with a furrowed brow and a tilted head.

Gabriel placed a finger to his own lips, not wanting any words to be exchanged. Hunters were light sleepers, and any form of conversation would have Sam and Dean leaping out of bed with guns blazing. Besides, he was leaving, anyways.

With a not-so-subtle glance between Gabriel and Sam, Castiel nodded once, and then swept across the room to Dean’s bedside, where he took in the sight of his injured mate with eyes so blue that they rivalled the sky even on the clearest of days. Gabriel remained where he stood, watching silently as his baby brother shrugged out of his heavy coat, and toed off his shoes, before climbing into the tiny bed next to Dean. The hunter immediately reacted to Castiel, curling his arm around the angel and pulling him tight to his chest.

Soft words were exchanged between them as Castiel tended to his mate’s injuries, and Gabriel felt a vicious tightness in his chest that made his loneliness all the more apparent to him.

He should leave.

Vegas seemed really inviting right now.

But, just as he lifted his hand to snap himself away, the sudden brush of fingers at his other wrist had him jumping right out of his skin. He wheeled around with a start, eyes widening at the sight of Sam sitting up in bed, hand still held out toward the wrist he’d just touched. He was sleepy-eyed, hair mussed, slightly unshaven and shirtless…

Fuck.

“U-um…” Gabriel swallowed hard, heart slamming mercilessly against his ribcage. “I can explain.”

Sam didn’t say anything in response, not even to demand the explanation Gabriel was not exactly ready to give, huge hand still extended toward the Archangel. Gabriel stared at it, unsure of what to do. Did Sam honestly expect him to… take it?

“I should go.” Gabriel took a step backwards.

“No.” Sam said in a groggy whisper.

Gabriel had to swallow the lump in his throat. “Sam-”

“Come here.”

Hesitantly, Gabriel came forward, and placed his much smaller hand against Sam’s. He was drawn forward, then, firmly tugged until his knees hit the side of the mattress and he was forced to climb up onto it or else he was going to face-plant. Boots scrambled awkwardly over tangled sheets, but he was still drawn forward, to the point where he ended up practically straddling the massive human’s lap. Sam eased himself back against the mound of pillows at his back, the moonlight catching the hazel depths of his eyes.

“Do you do this every night?” Sam asked softly. “Pop in while we’re asleep and disappear before we have a chance to know you were even there?”

Gabriel barely heard him, too focused on the firm body beneath him, the warmth emanating from taut sun-baked skin, the utterly human aspects of Sam Winchester. He had nowhere to place his hands, not unless he could set them on that ridiculously rippled stomach, but he’d better not push his luck at this point.

“Thank you,” Sam said. “For healing me.”

Gabriel smiled softly, almost shyly, and he wanted to kick himself for it. “No problem, kiddo.”

Sam glanced over at the next bed over, where Dean was snoring softly in the arms of his own angel. Castiel was awake, obviously, but was too focused on rubbing slow circles at the base of his mate’s skull to even notice that Sam and Gabriel were even talking. A Goddamn bomb could go off right outside the motel and Cas wouldn’t flinch from that position.

“I heard you, by the way.” Sam stated. “When you wished me a happy birthday.”

Gabriel cocked a brow. “You were awake?”

“I was awake the moment you fluttered in here,” Sam said. “You really expected me to sleep lightly after that hunt today?”

“Ohh…” The amber-eyed Archangel grinned. “So cautions the young Winchester is.”

Sam’s nose wrinkled. “No pop culture references this late.”

“You’re no fun.”

The hunter snorted, curling those monstrous arms of his around the tiny little Archangel and drawing him good and tight against his broad, bare chest. Gabriel gasped softly, tucking himself in the nook beneath Sam’s chin. Large, calloused hands splayed across his back, deft fingers pressing into the place between Gabriel’s shoulder blades where his unseen wings sprouted from. It was as though Sam knew exactly where to touch, how much pressure, and had the Archangel in his arms melting like butter in the sun.

Sam slipped one of his hands under his pillow, and pulled out the little candy cane that Gabriel had left there. He quirked a brow in befuddlement.

“Aren’t these usually a Christmas kind of thing?”

“Yeah, well…” Gabriel shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. “I wanted to give you a gift. Candy is kind of my signature and all that, but I know you’re not a fan of sweets. You don’t even take much sugar in your coffee.” He plucked the candy cane from Sam’s fingers and peeled off the wrapper. “This is minty. Not sweet. I thought you’d enjoy it.”

Sam smiled, and it was slow and downright gorgeous. Those dimples of his appeared when his smile stretched just the right amount, and Gabriel had every urge to seize him by the jaw and bruise those lips in kisses.

Sam took the candy cane back and stuck the unwrapped end in his mouth to suckle. “Thanks, Gabe.”

“Anytime.”

“I don’t celebrate my birthday,” Sam murmured, popping the candy out of his mouth to observe how much the stripes had begun to fade. “Dean and I don’t do that kind of stuff anymore. No birthdays, no Christmas. When a special day comes, we just wish each other a happy whatever, grab a big breakfast at a local diner and go visit Bobby for a few hours, maybe pick up a Chuck Norris movie or two to watch at the end of the night, and that’s it.”

Gabriel’s brow furrowed. “That… kind of blows, kiddo.”

“It’s the life of a hunter.” Sam chuckled. “It’s not that bad, really, if you get used to it.”

Gabriel frowned deeply, flattening his palm over the anti-possession sigil tattooed on his chest, and feeling the rhythmic drumming of the hunter’s heart beneath his hand. “You should go somewhere special or something. Have a party.” He perked up. “Ooh! With cake.”

Sam laughed. “I don’t like parties. Or cake, for that matter.”

“Wow, you really are no fun. I don’t even know why I like you.”

“Bite me.”

Gabriel lifted his head to lock the hunter’s eyes, and gave him a playful eyebrow wiggle, which earned him a soft whack to the back of the shoulder. “Ow! Jackass.”

“Brat.” Sam smirked.

The Archangel poked his tongue out in defiance, and then sat up. “I still say you should go somewhere special for your birthday. You have an entire world to choose from.” He held his arms open. “I could take you.”

Sam regarded him silently for a moment as he chewed another bite of candy cane. “I can’t leave Dean alone, you know.”

“He can come… if he wants.” Gabriel made a sour face, not even liking that idea himself. “I make no promises to be nice to him, though.”

The hunter shook his head, and lifted his hands to settle each of them on Gabriel’s hips. They were heavy, and Gabriel could feel the human warmth of them even through the layers of clothing he wore. Sam’s thumbs pressed into the dips of his hips, tracing the line of muscle he found there.

“I don’t need to go anywhere for my birthday, Gabe,” Sam said. “I don’t need anything at all, except…”

“Except?”

Sam locked his eyes. “Stay. All night. No snapping away before dawn, no disappearing acts. You stay here all night with me. That’s what I want.”

“That’s it?” Gabriel tried to keep his voice from cracking.

“That’s it.”

The Archangel swallowed audibly and forced himself to nod. He hadn’t the slightest clue what had granted him this opportunity, what had led he and the hunter to this very moment, but he wasn’t about to let it pass. He’d run away from everything in his existence already, and Sam was not going to be one of them.

“Yeah…” He breathed. “Yeah, I can do that.”

Gingerly, he unlaced his boots and kicked them to the motel room floor, and then shrugged out of his olive jacket. He’d lose more layers if he could, just strip down to his wife-beater and silk boxers, but he’d rather not make the kid uncomfortable. Sam tugged him back down onto his chest, and then rolled them both over in one swift motion, so that Gabriel was against the soft pillows instead. Sam hovered over him, those dimples showing up again. Their faces were close, and the Archangel scented the minty-ness of candy cane on Sam’s breath.

Sam settled himself next to Gabriel, his body practically draped over the Archangel’s like a Goddamn octopus, all long limbs that clung and prevented any form of escape. “I like you too, you know.” He said softly, minty breath fluttering at Gabriel’s hair.

Gabriel’s heart all but back-flipped. “Who said I even liked you to begin with?”

“You did.” Sam’s lips were suddenly on the patch of exposed skin between Gabriel’s neck and shoulder, and he kissed gently. “About five minutes ago.”

“Drat.” Gabriel’s breath caught. “I take it back.”

“No take backs.”

Gabriel turned his head to pout, but was caught off guard when Sam’s mouth was suddenly on his, and… God damn it. He’d never tasted anything so fucking incredible in the millennia he’d been alive. Sam’s kisses were slow, showering Gabriel’s lips in chaste nips and gentle pecks, sighing out through his nose when Gabriel returned each one with a touch more heat, the very tip of his tongue tasting that warm, mint-tainted sweetness that was the hunter’s mouth.

It was Sam who broke the kiss first, and Gabriel released a soft whine of disappointment. Pressing their foreheads together, the hunter smiled breathlessly, and Gabriel could see the exhaustion clear in his eyes. He was keeping the poor kid up.

“Go back to sleep, kiddo,” he whispered.

Sam nodded as he settled himself comfortably against the Archangel. “You promise to stay all night?”

“Well, you’re a pretty half decent kisser,” Gabriel lifted his hand to run fingers through the back of Sam’s silken hair. “I guess I can stick around for a bit if you promise to do that again.”

The hunter snorted and gave Gabriel’s throat a sharp bite. “Brat.”

“H-hey, you like me now, remember? You have to put up with me.” Gabriel grinned wickedly, the echoes of his six wings stretching and folding themselves around the hunter, providing a shield of Grace and protection against any nightmares that dared try to disturb him. “No take backs.”

He could feel Sam smile against his shoulder as his exhaustion quickly pulled him back into the comforting depths of sleep. “No take backs.”


End file.
